Iris Origo records in diary entries the day-to-day heroism and fortitude of her family and workers at an estate in southern Tuscany during WWII. The family takes in children, escaped prisoners, soldiers, civilians and Jews all fleeing as the German army advances south toward their home, 100 miles north of Rome between Siena and lake Trasimene. Originally published in 1947, it's an engrossing chronicle that captures the immediacy of the war in Italy.  (ITL219, $14.95)

World War II